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Africa and GM foods – is Africa ready?

IRIN

African policy makers are yet to agree on whether to adopt GM technology

KISUMU/KAMPALA, 27 November 2013 (IRIN) – Even as food insecurity continues to afflict impoverished and disaster-affected populations around the continent, African policymakers and consumers remain deeply divided over the potential harms and benefits of genetically modified (GM) foods, which advocates say could greatly improve yields and nutrition.
A recent study published in the journal Food Policy, titled Status of development, regulation and adoption of GM agriculture in Africa, shows that heated debates over safety concerns continue to plague efforts to use GM crop technology to tackle food security problems and poverty.
Yet results from the four African countries that have implemented commercial GM agriculture – Burkina Faso, Egypt, South Africa and Sudan – suggest an improvement in productivity. In South Africa, a 2008 study showed an 11 percent grain yield advantage when using…

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